There were boos at the Sheldonian theatre from hundreds of staff are efforts to force a resolution on the proposals were thwarted.
Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

The University of Oxford has blocked attempts by staff to debate pension proposals that have sparked industrial action on campuses across the UK, to cries of “Shame!” from academics.

As the strike by members of the University and College Union (UCU) entered its eighth day, Oxford’s arcane procedures were used to halts efforts to force a resolution on the proposals to downgrade staff pensions that have provoked action at more than 60 campuses.

Staff backing the strikes wanted to suspend standing orders at Oxford’s congregation – a university-wide meeting of staff – held on Tuesday afternoon, and debate the university’s response to a changes proposed to the universities superannuation scheme (USS).

Quick guide

Why are university staff striking?

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Why are university staff striking?

University staff who are members of the University and College Union are angry at proposed changes to their pensions, which they argue could leave them up to £10,000 a year worse off when they retire. UCU say this would result in a loss more than £200,000 over the course of a retirement for a typical member of staff. Universities UK wants to change the Universities Superannuation Scheme from a defined benefit scheme – giving a guaranteed retirement income – to a defined contribution scheme, which would mean pensions would be subject to changes in the stock market. The union says young lecturers would be worst affected, with some losing up to half their pensions.

What is the argument for the changes?

Universities UK says its pension scheme has a £6bn deficit and it have a legal duty to put in place a credible plan to tackle it by this summer. Without reform, pensions contributions would have to rise steeply – and would mean spending cuts in other areas such as teaching, student support and research. Universities UK says that even after the changes the scheme would compare well with employer contributions double the private sector average.

What about students?

About 80,000 students at 30 of the universities affected have signed petitions. Many are supportive of striking staff but are demanding compensation for the hours of tuition they will miss because of the strikes. Students in England pay £9,250 a year, and have rights under consumer law. Whether these rights apply to industrial disputes is untested.

Photograph: Stephen Shepherd

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But their efforts were thwarted when more than 20 members objected, to a chorus of boos from the hundreds in the Sheldonian theatre who wanted to proceed.

In an email to staff, Louise Richardson, Oxford’s vice chancellor, said she endorsed the tactics that effectively killed off a wider debate at the meeting.

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“I fully understand the depth of feeling on this issue but I have to say that I have been disheartened these past few days by the tenor of some of the debate,” she said. “As a university we take pride in our defence of freedom of speech, in reasoned argument, and evidence based decisions.

“If we are to impart these qualities to our students, we should, at a minimum, practise them among ourselves.”

The academics rejected an offer from Richardson for a non-binding “town hall” discussion instead – amid signs that the employers’ unity is crumbling as vice-chancellors at Sheffield and Loughborough universities visited picket lines at their campuses.

The strikes over controversial changes to the pension scheme for librarians, technicians and researchers have spread across three weeks, with UCU and the employers group Universities UK holding a second day of talks at the industrial conciliation service Acas.

The UUK had said it was not prepared for further talks until later in the week but after a change of heart on Monday evening notified the union via Twitter.

The UCU will continue with strike action later in the year, which increases the chances of interfering with undergraduates’ final-year results and possibly delaying their graduation.

At Sheffield, its vice-chancellor, Sir Keith Burnett, met with staff on a UCU picket line, while his counterpart at Loughborough, Prof Robert Allison, did the same.

Burnett also issued a statement calling on the UUK to hold “genuine negotiations” with the UCU. “I am not the only vice-chancellor who is urging action to this end, and I will continue to press for this to happen both in public and in private,” he said.

Imperial College London has also broken with the UUK by writing directly to the Pensions Regulator, asking for time to allow an expert group to examine the state of the pension scheme.

“We appreciate this is an extraordinary request and we are prepared to carry our share of the risk in staying part of the scheme on the current terms, until the work is complete,” Alice Gast, Imperial’s president, wrote.

At City University’s Cass business school, the Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable, was asked by striking staff not to cross the picket line. Cable later cancelled an appearance at a conference the school was holding.

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The strike was provoked by the desire of the UUK to shift staff pensions from offering fixed benefits after retirement to defined contributions, after the Pensions Regulator said the USS was more risky than previously estimated.

But even within Oxbridge, support has weakened for the low-risk position that provoked the strikes. King’s College, Cambridge, said in a statement that its submission to the UUK’s survey of members “was not, and should not have been taken as, considered view of the college”.